Ranking the Protagonists in the Final Fantasy Series

Since the very beginning of the franchise, Final Fantasy has always separated itself from other JRPG progenitors like Dragon Quest by featuring a greater emphasis on narrative. And while the main characters in the game were initially “blank slates” on which the player could imprint their own personality, the series quickly pivoted to feature fully fleshed-out protagonists that rival the enigmatic antagonists driving each game’s conflict forward. Starting with Final Fantasy II, the series began to feature named heroes with personalities, backstories, and unique abilities that became just as important to the franchise as each game’s story, with almost every mainline entry in the Final Fantasy series known as much for its leading character as its gameplay. With 16 core games and a 17th on the way, it’s time to take a look back at all the Final Fantasy protagonists to determine a definitive ranking.

Our criteria for ranking each of the main heroes of the Final Fantasy series are fairly straightforward. We’re looking not only at each character in terms of their impact on the story and growth and development throughout it, but also how each character fares in battle and the importance they have as the anchor point of their respective Final Fantasy‘s main adventuring party. Some of the leading heroes in each mainline Final Fantasy might successfully fulfill one of these roles while struggling to match the strength of their fellow series protagonists in the other, which ultimately results in them falling further down the ranking.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy
• Hometown — Unknown
• Age — Unknown
• Ultimate Weapon — Masamune

Despite what Yoshitaka Amano’s iconic concept art for the first Final Fantasy might have you believe, the main hero of the series’ first game is about as blasé as they come. The story refers to the four blank slate heroes the player creates at the game’s outset as the “Warriors of Light”, but it’s entirely up to you to determine their class, their names, and just about everything else that would imprint some kind of identity on these four adventurers. The goal was to have Final Fantasy be as close to a digital approximation of Dungeons & Dragons as possible, and while it mostly succeeds in that area, it results in the game’s main heroes significantly lacking in any sort of personality or character development outside their late-game class upgrades courtesy of Bahamut.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy III
• Hometown — Ur
• Age — Unknown
• Ultimate Weapon — Ultima Weapon/Onion Sword

As the third game in the series, Final Fantasy III would take a “back to basics” approach to both its gameplay and story, pivoting back to the “blank slate” character approach of the first game after Final Fantasy II‘s greater emphasis on narrative and reintroducing the Job system in a more enhanced format (and changing JRPGs forever in the process). While the original Final Fantasy III cast its four heroes as orphans from the town of Ur, everything else about these characters’ personalities was entirely up to the player to formulate in their imagination. That would change with the title’s DS remake, but not necessarily to its benefit. The “main character” of the DS remake of Final Fantasy III finally gets a name, but the act of trying to imprint personality on a character who previously had none makes Luneth feel like “too little, too late”.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy XII
• Hometown — Rabanastre
• Age — 17
• Ultimate Weapon — Varies by Job

While I might not have as much against Vaan as some other players do, there’s no denying that his place as one of the least interesting Final Fantasy protagonists certainly contributed to many players overlooking Final Fantasy XII despite it being one of the most mechanically satisfying games in the series. Vaan isn’t necessarily a “bad” protagonist, per se, but he’s about as trite and uninteresting as they come and is completely overshadowed by a stellar cast of supporting characters more deserving of the spotlight. Vaan at least holds his own in battle as the de facto “Knight” of the group (especially if you build out his licenses in a way that plays to his natural stat distribution), but let’s be honest — Balthier and Fran are the real stars of Final Fantasy XII.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy II
• Hometown — Fynn
• Age — 18
• Ultimate Weapon — Blood Sword

As the first real “hero” character in the Final Fantasy franchise, Firion does a lot of heavy lifting for what’s otherwise one of the more controversial and divisive games in the series. Final Fantasy II‘s gameplay is a mixed bag, with many of its more unique systems and progression mechanics (like only leveling up the skills that you use) going on to form the mechanical foundation of the SaGa series, but its story is pure Star Wars worship. Firion is essentially Luke Skywalker, an orphan who joins up with a ragtag group of rebels to try and stop an oppressive empire, and even with his lack of proper development, he remains an interesting character to follow throughout the game’s narrative. Firion ultimately deserves some extra points in a ranking of Final Fantasy protagonists for being the first “real” hero in the series.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy XV
• Hometown — Insomnia
• Age — 20/30
• Ultimate Weapon — Sword of the Father

Similar to Firion, Noctis is a fantastic protagonist of an otherwise not-too-great Final Fantasy game. While Final Fantasy XV is far from “bad”, there’s no denying that its troubled development hurt its sense of cohesion, not to mention that it went essentially unfinished. Still, Noctis is a noble and relatable protagonist, struggling to balance his commitment to duty with his desire for autonomy and ultimately resolving to do the right thing, even at great personal cost. Plus, Noctis is the perfect complement to the game’s main adventuring party, with his own strengths and weaknesses as both a character and a combatant perfectly balanced with those of his three best friends.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy X
• Hometown — Dream Zanarkand
• Age — 17
• Ultimate Weapon — Caladbolg

Tidus lands almost squarely in the middle of the list of Final Fantasy protagonists, and that ranking has a lot to do with the strength of Final Fantasy X‘s supporting cast. In a lot of ways, you could say that Yuna is the protagonist of Final Fantasy X, but her tragic connection with Tidus, and the growth and development that he experiences throughout the game (up until the final heartbreaking reveal and cathartic conclusion) catapult the Blitzball star to being the true hero of its story. Plus, Tidus is just an absolute powerhouse in Final Fantasy X‘s combat. Should you go through the trouble of acquiring all the Celestial Weapons and nab Caladbolg for Tidus, there are few things more rewarding than seeing him push past the 9999 damage cap to dole out punishment to the game’s most challenging enemies.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy V
• Hometown — Lix
• Age — 20
• Ultimate Weapon — Varies by Job

Bartz is similar to Zidane in that, after one of the series’ more dour and serious protagonists, he comes across as refreshingly lighthearted and whimsical. At his core, Bartz just cares about adventure, beginning the game with no cares other than wandering the world on the back of his chocobo, Boko. But a chance encounter with a princess and a strange old man lead him on a path to discovery, including the revelation that his estranged father was one of the Heroes of Light responsible for sealing away Exdeath. Bartz regularly provides some welcome comic relief throughout Final Fantasy V‘s atypically whimsical story, and his ability to be slotted into any role you wish in combat thanks to the game’s Job system makes him an all-around fantastic hero.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy XIII
• Hometown — Bodhum
• Age — 21
• Ultimate Weapon — Omega Weapon

For a lot of longtime fans, Final Fantasy XIII is perhaps one of the worst games in the entire series. But like Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy XIII‘s place as a less-liked game does little to dissuade from the fact that its protagonist is an incredible character. Lightning Farron is an immensely powerful and likeable heroine who ultimately only cares about one thing: saving her sister. Her connection to Serah and desire to protect her drives just about every decision she makes, with the fact that it puts her on the path to saving the world seemingly a bonus. On top of her noble intentions and undeniably “cool” attitude towards everything transpiring around her, Lightning is one of the most powerful and capable combatants in the entire series, practically carrying the entire party in battle towards the end of the game.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy VIII
• Hometown — Balamb Garden
• Age — 17
• Ultimate Weapon — Lion Heart

Squall may start off as the typical “sad loner” character archetype that drove the 3D era of Final Fantasy, but he ultimately settles into the role of being one of the series’ best and most natural leaders. When Final Fantasy VIII starts and we first meet Squall, he cares about little else other than climbing up the SeeD ranking and becoming a top mercenary, but he slowly but surely begins to soften to his allies that depend on him for guidance, realizing that the connection they all share trumps any other goals he may have previously held. Despite his constant mutterings of “…whatever”, Squall eventually grows into being one of the series’ most interesting and complex characters, who doesn’t let his tragic past prevent him from being the best version of his present self.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy IX
• Hometown — Lindblum
• Age — 16
• Ultimate Weapon — Ultima Weapon

After the Final Fantasy series’ pivot toward self-serious and moody protagonists, Zidane was a breath of fresh air, bringing the franchise back to a similar grounding as Final Fantasy V by letting players step into the shoes of a kind, lighthearted hero who was always there to lend a hand to his allies or provide a quick joke. Zidane is constantly helping out the rest of Final Fantasy IX‘s cast and putting his friends before himself. Then, when Zidane is at his lowest point toward the end of the game, the rest of the party returns the favor, helping the heroes cross the finish line and save the world in a way befitting the Final Fantasy franchise. Zidane is whatever the rest of the party needs when they need it, cementing himself as one of the series’ greatest protagonists.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy IV
• Hometown — Baron
• Age — 20
• Ultimate Weapon — Ragnarok

It should come as no surprise that Final Fantasy IV features one of the series’ all-time greatest protagonists, as it’s the first game in the franchise to really level up the quality of storytelling that would come to define every subsequent entry. Cecil is the classic flawed hero, beginning as a Dark Knight questioning his loyalty to an obviously corrupt king and seeking redemption. He eventually finds that redemption by casting his dark sword aside and becoming a paladin, going on to save the world while learning of his surprising lineage and brotherhood with the game’s antagonist, Golbez. Cecil’s character arc takes players on a classic “hero’s journey” that, while it’s a little predictable, ticks all the right fantasy genre boxes. Plus, by the end of the game, Cecil is the default melee powerhouse.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy XVI
• Hometown — Rosaria
• Age — 15/28/33
• Ultimate Weapon — Original Sin

Final Fantasy XVI is a bit of a polarizing game for how it sheds much of what seemingly “makes” a Final Fantasy game feel like part of the series. Regardless of how you feel about its gameplay, though, it’s hard to deny that Final Fantasy XVI has one of the best stories in the entire series, anchored by its incredible protagonist, Clive Rosfield. Clive is tortured by the events surrounding his brother Joshua’s apparent death, driving him to seek redemption as a rebel against the world’s powers and turning his back on his own noble lineage. When push comes to shove, Clive shows that true strength lies in kindness and forgiveness, never stopping his quest to make the world a place free from strife, even if it costs him everything.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy VI
• Hometown — Vector
• Age — 18
• Ultimate Weapon — Enhancer

In a world where a certain game in the series didn’t exist, Terra Branford would easily be the Final Fantasy franchise’s greatest protagonist. Terra begins Final Fantasy VI as nothing more than a tool used for the empire, but her liberation at the hands of the Returners opens her eyes to the corruption surrounding her, prompting her to embark on a journey of self-discovery that leads to first existential crisis and then acceptance. By the time players roll credits on Final Fantasy VI, Terra is both one of the most powerful combatants in the game and the beacon of hope that pulls the party to victory, refusing to give up on the chance for a better tomorrow and defying Kefka at every turn.

• Starring Game — Final Fantasy VII
• Hometown — Nibelheim
• Age — 21
• Ultimate Weapon — Ultima Weapon

Cloud Strife is both the best and the most complex leading man in the entire Final Fantasy series. His troubled past and mistreatment at the hands of Shinra lead him to be deeply insecure regarding his past failures, causing him to imprint an entire fake history and backstory on his psyche to prevent a full mental break. Those efforts ultimately prove to be futile, as Cloud eventually enters a full catatonic state following his inability to prevent the tragic death of Aerith, and we get to follow him back from the brink to witness his redemption as the story’s true hero, aided in no small part by his love and connection to his childhood friend, Tifa. Cloud is relatable, effortlessly cool, and carries a gravity-defying sword. In other words, he’s the perfect JRPG protagonist.